If I Told You…

If I reported back from the future after the Leafs‘ first 17 games and told you before the season started:

Joffrey Lupul has been out injured since game three, Jake Gardiner has only played two games and is in the minors, Phil Kessel went on a 10-game goalless drought to start the season, Dion Phaneuf recorded only one assist and no goals in his first 11 games, James Reimer has been out injured for several games and we haven’t acquired Roberto Luongo or any form of goaltending help, our only player acquisition since the lockout ended is Frazer McLaren, Colton Orr has been playing on the third line the past few games, and John-Michael Liles has been a healthy scratch while Korbinian Holzer, Mike Kostka and Mark Fraser are playing significant minutes on the backend…

Would you have put the Leafs record at 10-7?

I think that’s a testament to some pretty good work by Randy Carlyle and the coaching staff from a systems play standpoint and a big credit to hot starts from the likes of James van Riemsdyk, Nazem Kadri, Matt Frattin, James Reimer, Ben Scrivens, and some of the new role players we’ve seen come to the fore. The million-dollar question is: Is it sustainable? Either way, a good start is a good start and a better start in a short season, so let’s hope the Leafs keep themselves in it and that their cause is boosted when the likes of Frattin, Reimer, Gardiner and eventually Lupul return to the lineup.

Alec Brownscombe is the founder of MapleLeafsHotStove.com, where he has written daily about the Leafs since September of 2008. He was also the editor of the 2009-13 Maple Leafs Annual magazines. You can contact him at [email protected]